FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 30, 2019) – The Northern Arizona women's tennis team did not drop a set all day and rolled to a pair of shutout victories, 7-0 over Portland State and 4-0 over UTEP, inside the Aquatic and Tennis Complex. The two victories were NAU's first shutouts of the season and extended the Lumberjacks' winning streak to a season-best three matches.
NAU (7-8 overall, 3-1 Big Sky) set the tone by clinching both doubles points and carried that momentum into singles play. The 'Jacks had previously dropped the doubles point in their last five matches prior to Saturday.
"Winning the doubles point gives us so much momentum," said head coach
Ewa Bogusz. "Going into singles, we know we're ahead but we know we still have to work hard. It gives us confidence and starts the match on the right note. I'm really proud and happy with how they transferred what we did in practice to matches."
The Lumberjacks got to work quickly versus Portland State in their morning match, sweeping the doubles action against their conference foe. Senior
Hanneke Lodewijks and sophomore
Ellie Millard opened with a 6-2 win over Eszter Zador and Alli Valk at No. 2 before junior
Chiara Tomasetti and freshman
Adrianna Sosnowska clinched the point at No. 1 by defeating Jacinta Milenkoski and Nina Nikitovic, 6-2.
NAU proceeded to win all six singles matches in straight sets to earn its first 7-0 victory this spring. Tomasetti got it rolling with a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Milenkoski at the top spot followed by Millard's 6-1, 6-2 win over Nikitovic on court three. Sophomore
Madi Moore secured NAU's fourth point – and clinched the match – with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Gerda Upeniece at No. 6.
Sosnowska knocked off Zador – the Vikings' wins leader with six victories – with a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4. Lodewijks followed with her first singles win of the season, 7-5, 6-2, against Lotti Meszaros at No. 2 and freshman
Emilie Haakansson closed with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 5 against Alli Valk, which included a second-set rally from down 3-1.
The quick victory provided NAU with a lengthy break between matches and the Lumberjacks flexed their muscles facing the Miners in the second half of the doubleheader.
NAU used the same recipe to clinch the doubles point in the afternoon with Lodewijks and Millard winning first and Tomasetti and Sosnowska finishing. The Lumberjacks' No. 2 pair blanked UTEP's Vanessa Valdez and Milena Baigorria, 6-0, and a 6-2 victory at No. 1 concluded doubles play. Moore and Haakansson, who posted a 6-3 doubles win against Portland State, led their match, 3-2, at the time the point was clinched.
UTEP was unable to fill a full singles lineup due to injury, which pushed NAU's lead to 2-0. Then, NAU's top two wins leaders guided the 'Jacks with Tomasetti and Sosnowska providing the match-clinching victories.
Tomasetti nearly shut out Kathleen Percegona at the No. 1 position, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win and improving to 14-0 in dual matches. Sosnowska wrapped up the afternoon by notching her 10th dual win at No. 3, 6-2, 6-1, against Yvette Van Oijen.
The 'Jacks led at the three remaining unfinished matches, including Haakansson and Moore who were on their way to singles wins themselves with commanding second set leads at the No. 4 and 5 spots respectively.
"We had a really good week of practice and when you have consecutive days of good energy, it's going to show," Bogusz said.
NAU, now 5-1 at home, will host a pair of conference matches next weekend to close out its five-match homestand. The Lumberjacks start the weekend with a 3 p.m. match against Weber State next Saturday, April 6 and then will face Southern Utah on Sunday, April 7 at 2 p.m.
Results vs. Portland State:
Doubles:
